Bring on the Wonder
by BonesBBLover
Summary: A collection of 50 Rayne drabbles. Will be posted in 10 sets of 5. Not necessarily sequential, so sorry for any confusion.
1. One to Five

**The first installment of a collection of 50 Rayne drabbles. Please comment, since this is the both the first time I've written anything at the drabble length and the first time I've really written this ship. **

* * *

**1. Walking**

Jayne sighed again, watching the girl happily skip ahead of him. She could never be content with just _walking,_ she always had to dance or skip or flit her way teasingly in front of him. Watching her twirl around, he got a good view of the creamy white expanse of her thigh, causing him to growl in frustration.

"Gorram tease…" he muttered, making sure his voice was low enough that none of the others, specifically her brother or Mal, would hear it. She was going to get it when they got back to the ship, that, he was sure of.

* * *

**2. Waltz**

"Ya want me to do WHAT exactly?" Jayne asked her, his voice a mixture of confusion and astonishment.

"Like this," River explained slowly, a bemused expression spreading over her face at his look of bewilderment. She placed one of his large hands on her waist, before reaching for the other and clasping it tightly in her own tiny hand.

"Now," she told him, leading him around the room in a slow waltz, "we really need this job, and it's up to us to make Captain Daddy look credible."

"What does me wearin' tight pants gotta do with Mal looking cred'ble?"

* * *

**3. Wish**

River ducked her head, making a mental wish, before blowing out the candles on her cake.

"What'd ya wish for?" Kaylee asked excitedly, almost bouncing in her seat.

"Silly Kaylee. If I told you, it wouldn't come true!" River smiled at her friend before glancing over at the silent mercenary who was eagerly awaiting his piece of cake.

"My bunk," he mouthed silently, knowing she was watching him.

Later that night, River slipped silently into Jayne's bunk, locking it securely behind her. Turning, she saw her birthday wish sprawled across his bed, naked except for the bow of red ribbon.

* * *

**4. Wonder**

He stared down at her sleeping face, smiling at the peacefulness that covered her features. It was not the first time he had woken early and watched her, and it surely would not be the last.

He held her close, ever so slightly tightening his grip on her naked body, keeping her pressed against the length of also naked body.

Not for the first time, he watched her in wonder, amazed she would choose to be with him. He knew she could do better, hell, she deserved better, but for some reason unknown to him, she had made her choice.

* * *

**5. Worry**

She always worried when he was out on a job without her. It didn't matter that she _knew_ she would know the exact moment he was hurt, she still worried until he was safely back on the ship.

It was becoming more and more frequent that she would be left on the ship when they were on a job, mostly because their work usually required a quick departure after the job went south, as it regularly did when working with Captain Malcolm Reynolds.

Starting the take-off sequence, River waited until the trio was safely inside before breaking out of atmo.


	2. Six to Ten

**6. Whim**

"We got a meet with Badger," Mal announced as River skillfully set the ship down on Persephone.

"Why we keep dealin' with that piece of go se?" Jayne grumbled, putting Arlene in his ankle holster. It would do him well to be prepared to deal with Badger and his henchmen.

What he wasn't prepared for was River to skip down into the bay, her light blue dress flowing softly around slight frame.

Mal took one look at Jayne's stunned expression and knew he had made the right decision, even if it had been on a whim, to take her along.

* * *

**7. Wasteland**

"What're we doin' here again?" Jayne wondered aloud for the hundredth time in five minutes.

"Picking up cargo," River told him, scanning the desolate wasteland that was laid out before them.

"There ain't nothin' here but sand n' hot," the mercenary grumbled, already starting to sweat even though the sun had just risen over the horizon. "I jus' hope'n we just get it and get off this ol' dead rock a'fore it gets to hot for Serenity to break atmo."

"We have one hour, twenty eight minutes and approximately forty-three seconds," River replied, praying Mal would hurry up with the coordinates.

* * *

**8. Whiskey**

"Whiskey," Jayne told the bartender, dropping onto a stool, "Imma gonna need it."

While he waited for his drink, Jayne watched as some scrawny kid approached the table where the rest of the crew was sitting, to ask River to dance. He watched the boy take her hand and pull her out onto the dance floor, quickly knocking back his drink when the boy pulled her close against him.

"N'other," Jayne ordered, not taking his eyes from the pair.

Tossing back the second glass, he stood and stalked onto the floor, intent on showing everyone exactly whose girl she was.

* * *

**9. War**

Jayne had purposely avoided fighting for either side in the Unification War for this exact reason—he wasn't one who wanted to die some unnamed body in the middle of a bloody battlefield. He was a man who wanted some recognition, whether good or bad, in his death.

Lying on the cold metal floor, watching River dive back through the blast doors, Jayne knew he was going to die an unidentified soldier in the continuing war he had so desperately tried to avoid.

The crazy girl would be the only one going out with any honor, fighting to her death.

* * *

**10. Bride**

Jayne stood quietly next to Zoe and Inara, watching River make her entrance into the mess, her pink dress sparkling under the lighting. It was a new dress, he noted, appreciating the way it hugged her curves in all the right places.

With a smile on her face she made her way to where Simon stood with Mal, softly kissing her brother on the cheek before stepping into her place next to Jayne.

Turning their attention to the door, they waited for the bride to make her entrance.

_One day…_ Jayne thought, taking River's hand in his own. _One day._


	3. Eleven to Fifteen

**11. Birthday**

Drawn to the mess by the smell of dinner, Jayne was surprised to see a cupcake with a single burning candle on his plate. There were no other crew members to be seen, not even River, who had cooked that night.

Approaching the table, he quickly blew out the candle and ate the cupcake before anyone else came in.

Throughout the meal, everyone kept asking River why she had spent the money on real vegetables and meat for the stir fry.

Her only answer was a smile and the enigmatic, "I wanted to celebrate." Celebrate what, she wouldn't tell them.

* * *

**12. Blessing**

Standing next to River, Jayne remembered how Book had discovered their secret relationship days before his death. It had been late during the night cycle, and Jayne had been down working out because he couldn't sleep.

The resident crazy girl had come down and sat with him, interrupting his workout to cuddle up against him, grounding herself with his steadiness. He had just held her close, gently stroking her back and arms.

More time had passed than he'd realized, and when he opened his eyes, Sheppard Book had been standing there with a small smile and silent nod of blessing.

* * *

**13. Biased**

"You're just biased!" River screamed at Simon, her eyes filled with anger and hurt. "Just because he's not some wealthy businessman from the Core doesn't mean he's not good enough for me!"

"But he's not!" Simon insisted. "He's un-educated Rim trash that spends all his money on alcohol and whores! He doesn't deserve you!"

"Shut up, Simon!" River's small frame shook with anger. "He's the only one who sees me for what I am. He loves me even though I'm just a broken, semi-crazy weapon. If anything, I'm not good enough for him!"

"Mei mei, you're too good for him!"

* * *

**14. Burning**

His fingers left a trail of fire as they danced across the smooth expanse of her stomach, sending a heat and want she had never experienced straight to her core.

Everywhere he touched her was like fire, filling her with an overwhelming desire and need. Running her hands over the firm planes of his back, she wondered if he felt the same way, the burning need filling him until he was drowning in it.

Pulling him down for another searing kiss, River felt as if her entire being was burning and he was the water that would extinguish the flame.

* * *

**15. Breathing**

"Baby doll, I need you to listen to me," he told her softly, holding her close with her ear against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. "I need you to breathe with me, alright?" He took several deep breaths, hoping she would follow his lead.

"Just breathe with me," he whispered, rubbing soothing circles into her lower back. "Breathe with me, River-girl."

Her erratic breathing slowed until it was in sync with his, her tense frame finally relaxing into his. Even as her breathing evened out and she drifted off to sleep, he held her close, soothing her.


	4. Sixteen to Twenty

**16. Breaking**

"No!" River cried out, leaving her protected position to run to the fallen body. Unconsciously she dodged bullets from both sides, her body protecting itself while her heart was breaking.

"Jayne, my Jayne-bear," she sobbed, collapsing in the dirt next to his prone body, the reality of the fighting around her fading into nothing while she focused solely on her lover. "You promised," River's voice was thick with emotion and tears, "You promised you'd never leave me."

Later, the crew would try to pry her broken and hollow body from his, but in the end they would be buried together.

* * *

**17. Belief**

For a month after the events of Miranda, Jayne spent his time away from the rest of the crew, reflecting on his life and what he had been through aboard Serenity.

His conversations with Sheppard Book played through his mind in an endless loop, replaying and repeating like a broken record, constantly going back to conversations about believing.

Not about believing in God or a supreme being, but believing in _something_. Mal had found that belief in doing the greater good. After many days of reflection, Jayne found what he believed in-- River's strength to fight the things he couldn't.

* * *

**18. Balloon**

They wandered through the crowded aisles of the festival, examining the variety of food and game booths; Jayne keeping one arm around River at all times, whether to ward off other men or to keep her from getting lost in the crowd was anyone's guess.

"Jayne! Look at the bear!" River pointed excitedly at a large purple bear hanging from a booth.

Jayne couldn't help but smile as he paid for a game. It was simple, he found, throwing darts at balloons. Minutes later the pair moved back into the crowd, laden down with a bear the size of River.

* * *

**19. Balcony**

"What're you doin' out here, baby girl?" Jayne asked from behind her, his voice thick with sleep.

"Just looking," River replied, staring out over the bright lights of the city. Instinctively knowing when he came up behind her, she leaned back into his warmth, letting him warm her skin against the chilled air.

"Oh yeah?" he asked huskily, his lips brushing her neck with each word. "How 'bout you come back inside and let me do some lookin'?"

"What, afraid someone will see us if we do it out here?" River teased, reaching behind her to trace his naked thigh.

* * *

**20. Bane**

"But mei mei, you know he hates me!" Simon pleaded.

River sighed with exasperation, nearly ready to give up on her brother altogether. "He doesn't hate you, Simon. Stop being such a boob!"

"River, he's been the bane of my existence since we stepped onto this ship! You can't honestly expect that either of us can just forget the last year existed!"

River rolled her eyes at her brother's misgivings. "The least you can do is to agree to be nice to him. Please, for me."

"But I don't understand why that means I have to plan the bachelor party!"


End file.
